Beautiful Mess (Book II)

Chapter twenty-seven

"Sometimes life takes an unexpected wrong turn in the right direction."

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•Rae•

I glance at my watch as I walk into the diner. 3:30 pm. I'm right on time for my appointment with my grandparents.

The conversation I had with my grandfather over the phone had been... short. I told him who I was and that I was willing to meet, so we agreed on a time and a place and I hung up without saying goodbye. I didn't mean to be rude... I just felt awkward talking to him.

My eyes quickly scan the customers and I spot an old couple occupying a table near the corner of the room. I take a deep breath before walking towards them.

They look up at me before I even reach their table, and I'm sure it's them without having to ask. I can see where my mom and I got the blue eyes and dark hair from, because my grandmother had the same features even though her hair is graying.

Stopping in front of them, I try to smile. "Hi, I'm Rae."

They just stare at me for a moment, and I almost think I got the wrong people. But then my grandfather stands up and pulls me into a hug, startling me. I don't hug him back though. I'm being cautious even though I don't want to be.

As soon as he releases me, his wife follows his lead and gives me a hug as well. It's quicker than her husband's, which is good because I didn't have to feel awkward with my hands hanging limp by my sides.

"Please, sit," he gestures to the seat in front of them, and the three of us sit down at the same time.

I wait silently as my grandmother cleares her throat. I notice bags under her eyes. Maybe she didn't sleep well last night.

"You look exactly like her." Her soft voice makes her sound younger than she is.

I nod in response, and a moment passes in silence.

"We didn't know," he says quietly, making me look up at him. His brown eyes have some kind of warmth in them, it's sort of comforting. "We didn't know that she died."

I nod again. I have a lot of things to ask, so many questions burning on the tip of my tongue, but I want to listen to what they have to say first.

"Yes," she agrees. "If we had known, we would've reached out to you sooner. You were left all alone like you had no family while we lived a comfortable life. We are so sorry."

"It's okay," I say, just to avoid nodding for the third time.

"Did your mother ever tell you about us?" my grandfather asks.

I shake my head. "All my life I thought you passed away before I was even born. I just learned the truth from the police a few days ago."

They glance at each other with a sad look. "It's just as we thought," he mumbles.

"What happened? Why did Mom lie to me about you?" I ask them, not being able to hold it in any longer.

My grandmother takes a deep breath and exhales. "Carol didn't want anything to do with us after what we did. She wanted us to stay away from her family forever."

"What did you do exactly? I mean, what happened... the day you..."

"Killed someone," he finishes for me. "But we never planned for it to go the way that it did."

He pauses and I wait patiently, but he doesn't go on. His wife clears her throat instead, and I look at her.

"I'll tell you everything." Her eyes have a faraway look and tears are already shining in them before she even begins the story. "If Carol hadn't told you anything about us, I doubt you know the real story of how your parents met."